Open Water (Widescreen Edition)

People seem to either love or hate this movie. If you want action, blood, and gore, watch something else. For me this was like listening to a really good blues singer. Cathartic, and it left me feeling like it said everything I couldn't bring myself to say.Since the trailer tells you this anyway, a somewhat dysfunctional couple (Daniel and Susan, the actors real names also) go on vacation. After a night of not enough sleep they go scuba diving and are left behind in the ocean. That's the first third of the movie. Then some ungracious dinner guests swim over to visit, but that's only their most obvious problem.The first time I saw it, I was on the edge of my chair for half the movie, which is impressive considering there is no action, violence, villians or monsters ( I guess the REAL sharks could be monsters) and not even all that much dialogue. The second time I caught a lot of pretty interesting nuances, and the 3rd time I still said WTF at the ending.There are things that are hard to watch in this movie. The first time he's bitten Daniel lies to Susan and says it's a leg cramp. But the 2nd time she has to tie a tourniquet on his upper leg for a bite on the calf and suddenly their best case scenario involves his losing a leg. At this point he becomes not a grown man looking to his wife/girlfriend for help but a terrified 2 year old desperate for mommy. Not at all easy to watch, especially if you've seen people completely come apart like this in real life.There's some good photography of the ocean. And a shot of an absolutely gorgeous tropical sunset that fills you with dread since the unfortunate couple are watching it in each other's arms-in the middle of the ocean. There are also a number of brief but very powerful moments of them caring for each other which left me wondering: if they survive will they marry each other the next day? Divorce each other the next day? (the movie is unclear about things like marital status) Never speak to each other again? Will one feel one way and the other feel differently?There is a bedroom scene early on with what is probably unneccesary nudity, which no doubt serves the purpose of making half the watchers suddenly far more interested. It also contains what I thought was the only real flaw which is that Susan is just too gorgeous to be entirely believable. The wet suits dispose of that problem for most of the movie however,a little thought to making her appearance as imperfect as her character would have been in order. However the bedroom scene itself is a very touching portrait of a couple that's been together for a long time and know each other well, and I found it oddly moving.Some folks found the lack of back story and the lack of really "deep" dialogue to find the characters hard to care about. However for me it allowed me to identify with them and I sure did-with in minutes there were two of me there on the screen and then in the water.I think the key to this movie is accepting that the sharks are stand ins for things like hypothermia and dehydration which are slower, less dramatic, and far more deadly. Or better yet, stand ins for reality nibbling away at Daniel and Susan's self deception till only the truth remains. Which is enough to make a horror movie out of any situation......I was left thinking that this movie was more about a couple dealing with something like the loss of a child than it was about scuba and sharks, and a friend of mine compared it to a couple spending their last days together in a nursing home.See it with someone you love.Curt

I wasn't sure I would watch to the end due to the initial slow start. I watched to the end and was glad I did. The scenario is probable. Being left behind during an excursion has happened. The two main characters are believable in their actions and progression of emotionsand I could feel my anxiety increasing as time progressed. I was hoping for a better outcome once their plight had been discovered and rescue teams were sent but it wasn't to be. Enjoyed the scenes with creatures of the sea as they were real. Well done.

They go out on a diving trip with a large group of other divers. The crew really seems to have their act together, carefully monitoring who is there and who is not after a drive. Unfortunately, one forgot his mask, was denied a chance to dive, but when a couple comes up early he borrows a mask and two of them go diving, but the turmoil he creates is a factor in the crew missing two people, stranding them. We then follow their peril stranded in the open ocean, spanning an entire day and into the next morning. They work hard to keep themselves together. For those who follow it to the end may have the same reaction as to how it affected ones view of the film. It is stated that it is based on a true story.

Good Netflix N Chill movie

If you love the water after this movie on some of the facts i hope you rethink safety. I only voluntarily enter water with two extra large scuba knives, one sharp electric stunner, one water auto spear with ten spare points, two emergency GPS signaling devices, two underwater mini lights, water purifier drinking straw (allows you to drink fresh water from salt) three strobes, one ration food kit, cell phone in water proof bag, extra oxygen tank mini and everyone knows if i dont check in at certain time notify the Coast Guard and NEWS channels. If they had my daily swim gear mentioned they could have lasted easily one week!

As an experienced night diver, with a deep respect for the ocean and all its creatures, I could imagine no worse fate than that of the two realistic players in this drama! I did considerable research and found that this probably really did happen, and that is not surprising at all due to the falliblity of human nature (the dive boat crew's mistakes in counting) and the carefree attitude some vacationers show when facing the dangers of nature. While we can only speculate on the exact events in this story, the film-maker's efforts can be greatly praised, especially the blaming, the mood swings, and finally, the recital of the Lord's Prayer when faced with the certainty of death. I personally, have known what it is like to be placed by circumstances on the surface of the ocean in the dark in SCUBA gear, and know only too well the feeling of begging for mercy and the Lord's protection when I thought I was about to meet my end in the jaws of such a fearsome sea creature, whose only purpose in the oceans is to rend the flesh of victims. In my particular case, I found myself surrounded by seaweed which floated around me, giving me comfort until I was rescued, but I can testify that the feeling that this movie so realisticly portrays is so real that I cannot help but feel awe for anyone who can make such a film. I am buying my own copy, not to view very often, but as a vote for this film maker, who has surpassed many others in allowing us to experience the stark fear of terror on the sea in a virtual manner that hopefully will substitute for the real thing.While I sincerely doubt that the true story was the result of a suicide pact, as some dive boat sources and news mongers would try to make us believe, I can understand that the dive boat industry in these waters may not want this story to be told this way. Yet, in having learned how many recreational divers explore these waters each year (over 1 million), I can't be surprised that this does not happen more often!I remain thankful to God, who delivered me from similar circumstances, and to the film maker who reminded me what I went through.

This is a gripping film based on the true story of Tom and Eileen Longerman who really were left out at sea following a fatal error by the diving company in failing to count everyone back in correctly. We can't possibly know what happened to that tragic couple and what they endured, but the sheer idea of being abandoned in shark infested waters is enough. The film takes a different location to the true-life story but features the couple, Susan and Daniel, on a much needed vacation when they decide to go on a ill-fated diving trip.I am truly baffled by the fact there are so many bad reviews on here, and can only assume the people who hated it were expecting a huge budget action movie with lots of gore. This is a low budget movie which actually tells a story. Witnessing the ineptitude of the diving company, the couple abandoned, then the effect on their relationship as it starts to dawn on them the boat might not come back and no one might find them - this is what makes the drama and intensity of the film. The viewer shares their isolation and fear at being in the vast ocean alone with no sustenance and little chance of rescue, and their terror when they catch glimpses of the sharks they know to be in the water. Although I wasn't sure if there was going to be a happy ending, I was rooting for them all the same, and it left me wondering what I would do if in that dreadful situation.An excellent and memorable film, I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys an intelligent film with a strong story, but feel anyone looking for big-budget action, shark fights and gore will be disappointed.

This 2003 psychological suspense drama is inspired by the story of Tom and Eileen Longerman who were left at sea following a similar diving trip in 1998. Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) are a work orientated yuppie couple who decide to go on a last minute holiday. On their second day, they join a group scuba dive but upon surfacing find they are alone. Knowing they are in shark infested waters, the couple are forced to make decisions, but will they come through it all?The film starts by showing us some of the couples relationship issues before the ‘main’ story kicks in and once they are stranded both are forced to face their own issues. I didn’t really relate to the characters [although the acting was great] so I wasn’t that interested in their eventual fate, what I liked was the sense of uselessness that was created and the wondering what I would do in their situation. The film uses various scene cuts to keep the interest, showing parallel events on shore and arty wave and cloud moments to illustrate various themes and it’s not long before the recriminations start. It may sound boring, but it is certainly atmospheric and chilling.The single disc opens to an unusual main title page that offers play and a ‘go deeper’ mode that holds all the functions and deleted scenes etc. But it needs to be said that this is a slow movie, it’s also not a horror in the gore tradition –it’s all psychological, you see the sharks, but not their bite. There is gratuitous full frontal nudity at the start and some swearing throughout which rated this as a 15. As a late evening family movie, this will certainly cause sharp intakes of breath and rates a ***** viewing but will not please those who want a fast pace, plenty of blood and complex plots.

If you're looking for a more Jaws-like affair then you will probably will indeed find this boring and a little slow - it isn't a huge action film full of high-octane giant shark attacks. But I did find it very realistic and have to say found it extremely tense and jumpy as a result - it really allows you to imagine a realistic experience of being up a certain creek with no paddle when finding yourself abandoned in shark-infested waters and experience the terror of what that would be like.Based on a true story, this certainly isn't a feel-good movie or one to watch if you about to take a holiday swimming in deep sea waters - it's actually quite horrible and un-nerving and I think they did quite a good job portraying that.

A friend of mine recommended this and I hesitated based on the bad reviews on this site. This movie is not as bad as other reviews make you think. I bought this together with "shark attack", and the latter was a total dud. This one, Open Water, can be seen without wanting to throw your drink at your tv. And the ending mildly "surprised" me, being a US film - I won't say too much not to ruin it. So two actors, lots of water, and lots of actors below the surface ... that's all there is and it kept me watching to the end.Similar in a way to "buried". Worth a look, definitely.

I'd heard about the couple abandoned at sea by their dive boat when it was on the news so when I heard this film was coming out I had to see it, and though it's mostly guess work because we'll never really know what that poor couple really had to endure it makes for a harrowing film.My only complaint is the nudity scene which brief though it is seemed totally unnecessary.